Operation Babysit
by whiteswan
Summary: After a Galactor attack on one of the ISO's lab facilities, the team has a rather unusual duty to perform...babysitting a fourteen month old little girl. Rated mostly for the Condor's mouth.
1. New Mission, New Responsibilities

Operation Babysit

Disclaimer: The bird-people and all related characters are not mine, I can only dream. They belong to Tatsunoko Productions. Chihiro and her mother alone belong to me.

This fic was inspired when watching one of my guy friends trying to deal with my (at the time) 14 month old son. Steve Guttenberg, Ted Danson and Tom Selleck had _nothing_ on that insanity.

1Chapter 1 New Mission and New Responsibilities

Ken smoothly maneuvered the Eagle Sharp into its bay, completing the docking process with the Phoenix, then made his way to the command bridge to meet the rest of his team. Nambu Hakase had called them on an emergency scramble, one so urgent that they were being briefed in the air rather than at the base. When he entered the bridge, his youngest team member immediately began peppering him with questions.

"Aniki, what's going on? Why were we called so fast, and not to the base? Why...?"

Ken tried to stem the flood of words, "I don't know Jinpei. Hakase will brief us in a few minutes."

The child made as if to ask another question but his sister laid a hand on his shoulder to quiet him. "Hush Jinpei. We'll find out soon."

A moment later the image of their mentor, Kozaburo Nambu, appeared on the ship's screen. "Thank you for coming so quickly, team. Your mission today is to go to our biological research facility in Nagano. It was just attacked by Galactor's mecha."

"Alright, time to kick some goon butt!"

"No Jinpei." The youngster looked shocked and Ken spoke up, "What is our mission then Hakase?"

"This is search and rescue only. The mecha disappeared as fast as it came, Red Impulse and his squad are searching for it now. Priority at this time for you, however, is helping the lab's staff. You are to search for survivors, recover as many as possible and report back."

"Understood Hakase. Phoenix out." Nambu's image faded from the screen and Ken turned to his team. "Full speed to Nagano, Ryu. Joe, make sure the main cargo bay is clear and ready for use as a temporary triage for any we can't fit in sickbay itself. Jinpei, assist him. Jun, pull up the layout of the lab for me. I'll scan for any incoming aircraft, get whatever supplies you need divided between the cargo area and sickbay." The team scattered to their tasks, preparing the ship to receive any survivors.

Down in the cargo bay, Jinpei paused in helping Joe unfold one of the cots they kept on board for this type of situation, "Hey Joe-aniki?"

Joe glanced over at him, a scowl on his face, "What is it kid? Pull on your end would you, this thing's a bitch."

Jinpei complied then glanced around to make sure his sister was out of hearing range before he whispered, "Aniki, do you really think we're going to need all this stuff? You think we'll find that many there we can help?"

Joe's face softened slightly and he put an arm around the child's shoulder, "I don't know Jinpei. But we gotta prepare for the worst and hope for the best." He rubbed his helmet and his voice reverted back to it's normal gruff tone, "Now, help me get the rest of these cots set up. We need to finish and get back up to the bridge." The boy nodded and they resumed their task before heading back up to join the others on the bridge.

Back on the bridge, Ken was dividing his attention between the lab's layout and the monitors when the others rejoined him. He stood to allow Jun to take her place at the monitors and moved forward to his normal seat for the approach to the lab, working out how best to divide the manpower for a full search of the facility.

As they approached the lab, he heard a small gasp come from Jun and turned to look at her, "Jun, what is it?" She took a moment to regain control of her voice and replied in the flat tone that Ken recognized as her way of holding back anger.

"I have a visual of the lab."

"How bad is it?"

"Bad."

The others turned at her tone of voice, and Ken ordered, "Put it up on the main screen. Ryu, set us down as close as you can." The big pilot nodded and began the descent as Jun did as he ordered. Cursing was heard from the glowering figure in the back of the group as they saw the damage, "K'so, Katse's head on a platter is looking better than ever right about now."

Ken nodded in agreement and assessed the damage to the lab. The west and north side, unfortunately where most of the lab facility itself was located, had taken the worst of the damage in the attack. The south and east facings, offices, as well as dining and living quarters according to the layout, had sustained heavy damage as well. Judging by the time of day of the attack, the results weren't going to be good.

As Ryu set the command ship down outside the lab, Jun handed each of them a medical kit and Ken gave the search orders. "Jun, Jinpei, take the south and east sides. Joe, you're with me. Ryu, stay with the ship, keep an eye out in case the mecha returns. Be ready to come help us if necessary. Everyone report back in an hour or if you find anything. Move out."

"Roger."

Jun and Jinpei began their search of the south section of the building. They moved from the destroyed offices and climbed carefully over the fallen beams and rubble, making their way into the dining facility. The scene there wasn't good, several members of the staff and a pair of technicians had been trapped under the debris. Jun checked each one before shaking her head, "Nothing. Is there anyone in the kitchen Jinpei? This can't be all the staff for this section."

Jinpei poked his head out of the kitchen and replied, "A couple of people Oneechan, but they're gone. No one else though. Maybe they all ran away."

"We can only hope so Jinpei. Come on, let's keep moving. There's nothing more we can do here."

Meanwhile, Ken and Joe weren't having much better luck in the western portion of the building. The lab itself had been completely trashed and the body count was disturbingly high. From the looks of the facility, most of the staff had already arrived for the day and had been caught in the attack. The two men moved carefully through the room, checking each person, with no results. As they moved through the north section, the situation was no better. As they searched Joe commented, "I'm glad you sent Jun and Jinpei to the other side of the building, they don't need to see this mess. What the hell was so significant about this place that they trashed it like this anyways? It's not even one of our larger facilities."

Ken looked over his shoulder at his second in command from the section he was searching, "This place isn't large but it was a part of the Montana project. I'm not sure what they were working on, to tell you the truth, but I do know that Hakase talked to the people here frequently about whatever it was they were doing. Galactor must have found out about it."

Joe raised an eyebrow at him, "You, the immortal Gatchaman, don't know what they were working on? I thought you knew everything."

Ken rolled his eyes and resumed his search, "Hakase doesn't tell me everything, baka. You know as much about the Project as I do. And if I knew everything, I'd be able to head off some of your stunts. As it is, I just get to hear Hakase bitch to me afterwards."

Joe just smirked, "And then I have to hear it from you and him. The two of you sound more alike every time I hear the lectures. Before I fall asleep from boredom that is."

"Shut up Joe and do a check of that room would you? I'm going to check in with Jun." Joe detoured into the room in question and Ken raised his communicator, "G1 to G3. Come in Jun."

"G3 here."

"Find anyone Jun?"

"No one we could help. But it looks like some of the staff are missing. They might have run off. No survivors so far, we're on the last section of the building." A shrill screech was suddenly heard in the background and Ken could hear Jun break into a sprint as she talked, "Scratch that, at least one. Oh my God. Ken, you and Joe better get over here, I'm gonna need some help. East section, fourth floor, living quarters, third door on the left from the stairs." Ken heard her curse under her breath and signaled to get Joe's attention. "We're on our way."

The two men made their way to Jun and Jinpei's location as quickly as they could, dodging the debris in their way. Halfway up the staircase, they met up with Jinpei, who was gasping for breath. He led them up the stairs, talking rapidly. "Oneechan sent me to meet you. We found someone. One of the scientists got pinned under a beam. We managed to get the worst of the debris off her but she looks pretty bad. Oneechan's treating her now."

The three entered the room in question and Ken glanced around for their teammate. "Jun, where are you?"

"Over here." They followed her voice and found her half hidden behind a fallen section of wall, kneeling over the figure of a female scientist and working quickly to bandage what looked like a nasty head wound. The woman's leg was pinned at an awkward angle beneath a beam. Ken caught Joe's eye and the two moved to take the ends of the beam.

"Jinpei, when we move this, let me know when we're clear."

"Roger aniki."

"Ok Joe, ready, lift." They lifted the beam and moved it away from the woman. Jinpei watched and when they were far enough away, he waved a hand to them.

"Clear aniki. You can drop it now."

The beam crashed to the floor and Ken went to kneel next to Jun, "What's the diagnosis?"

She looked over at him and shook her head, "Not great, but she could be far worse. That leg is a mess, and she has a lot of superficial cuts, but it's her head wound that worries me the most at the moment. We need to get her back to the ship, I can't do much more here."

Ken nodded and raised his communicator, "G5, come in."

Ryu's voice came over the link, "G5 here."

"Ryu, bring a stretcher and meet us on the fourth floor, east section. We have one survivor we need to get back to the ship."

"On my way."

Ken cut the communication and looked down when he heard a small noise. Jinpei and Joe were setting a splint on the woman's leg to immobilize it and Jun was packing up the medical kit. He couldn't find the source of the noise. He glanced at his second, "Joe, did you hear something?"

"You heard it too huh?" The sound came again and he looked over at Jun. "It's coming from Jun."

Ken glanced over at her, "Jun?"

Jun looked down to the side and moved her wing away to reveal a baby girl huddled behind her, whimpering. The boys' jaws collectively dropped and Joe questioned, stunned, "Nani? A baby?"

Jun ignored their shocked expressions and tried to coax the little girl out from behind her, "Come on out sweetheart, no one's going to hurt you. It's alright." She added in an aside to Ken, "She was sitting next to her mother and crying, that's how we found them. She got scared when she heard you guys come in, so she hid. She seems to be alright, I think a lot of her mother's cuts are from shielding her during the attack." He nodded and they both stood as Ryu came into the room, a stretcher under his arm. Jun picked up the baby and held her as Ken and Joe lifted the scientist onto the stretcher. When she was settled and strapped to the cot, Ken ordered, "The four of us will carry her back to the ship. Jun, take the baby with you and go ahead of us, get whatever you need to treat her mother ready in sickbay."

"Roger." Jun held the baby close and ran for the ship, "Hold on tight little one, get ready to fly."

Jun took off to the Phoenix, the baby clutching her uniform tightly as she moved around the debris towards the exit. Once they were out of the building she sprinted to the ship and leapt for the upper entrance. As they jumped the little girl turned and hid her face in the front of Jun's dress. Jun bent her head to soothe her as they descended into the ship. "Don't worry little one, it's alright. You're safe here. Come on, let's get you checked out before my friends come back with your mommy." She moved to the console and hit the switch to lower the exterior ramp so that Ken and the others could bring the woman directly to sickbay, then made her way there with the baby. She gave the girl a quick checkup, looking her over carefully for any scrapes or bruises. Finding none, she redressed her, finishing just as they heard the telltale _snap_ of the outside ramp closing.

Jun turned to see her teammates entering the room and directed them to move their charge from the stretcher to one of the beds. This accomplished, Ryu vacated the area for the bridge, followed closely by Jinpei and Joe. Moments later, the remaining two could feel the great ship taking off under their feet.

Ken was about to leave the room when he suddenly found his arms full of squirming baby. He looked down at her then at Jun, a confused expression on his face, "What am I supposed to do with her?"

His teammate glanced over her shoulder at him from where she was cleaning the mother's cuts and quickly stifled a giggle at the look on her commander's face. Attempting to keep the laughter from her voice she replied, "My advice would be to see if there is any milk or juice in the galley and try to get her to drink some. She must be hungry."

His face drained of color and he held the baby at arm's length, "Nani? I don't know anything about babies. Can't you do it?"

She sighed, "It's going to take me at least a half hour to get her mother settled and stabilized. Judging by the way that she's gnawing at her fist at the moment, I'd say she's hungry _now_. I'll be out as soon as I can, but I can't do two things at once. You're on your own for the moment." That said, she turned back to the scientist and resumed her task.

Ken gave the little girl a wary look and reluctantly left the room, heading for the galley area of the ship. Once there, he carefully shifted the child in his arms, freeing one hand to rummage through the small refrigerator. Shoving aside bottles of cola and cans of energy drinks, he found a container of grape juice and pulled it out, setting it on the counter. He grabbed a cup from the cabinet and awkwardly poured a bit into it. He glanced down at the girl then back at the cup and sighed, "I suppose we should give this a try. Doesn't seem like they thought of the possibility of having a baby on board when they stocked this thing did they?" He considered the situation for a moment, then shrugged and held her in the crook of his arm, handing her the juice with his free hand. "Think you can hold that on your own?"

The little girl grabbed for the juice, but when it wobbled in her hands, Ken quickly took it back, "Not quite yet it seems. Oh brother. Tell you what, since I'm wearing white and I'd like to keep it that way, why don't we go sit with the others and wait for Jun to finish up with your mommy. You can drink your juice there." The child just looked up at him and frowned, then reached again for the cup, straining against his arm. "I guess that's a yes."

Ken carefully made his way out to the bridge, juggling the cup and the little girl who was squirming to reach it. As he entered the room he shot a glare over to his already snickering second in command, "Joe, don't say a word. I will hurt you."

Jinpei popped his head over the back of his seat and took a good look at his flustered commander before nearly collapsing with laughter, "Gatchaman no daddy! Ryu, we gotta get a picture of that!"

"Jinpei, if you know what's good for you, you will shut up now. This isn't funny."

"It is from where I'm sitting bro."

"Stuff it Joe."

Ryu glanced over as Ken took his seat next to him, awkwardly shifting the little girl to his knee and holding the cup for her to drink, and couldn't resist teasing him, "Jin's right though Ken, you make a good daddy. Looks like she was hungry, huh?"

"Ryu, if I weren't holding her, I swear..."

"But you can't do jack shit right now Ken. This is too damned hilarious."

"Watch the language Condor. There are children in the room."

Jinpei spoke up indignantly, ""I'm not a child!"

"Pipe down pip squeak. You're still a...what the fuck is that smell?"

"Joe, what did I just say about your mouth?"

"Fine, I'll watch my mouth, golden boy. But that smell's nasty! Where's it coming from? Ryu, you didn't have tacos before the mission again did you?"

"Nope. It wasn't me"

Jinpei giggled from his console, then clapped a hand over his mouth as Ken and Joe both turned to glare at him, "Was it you brat?"

"Nuh uh Joe-aniki. But I think I know what it is."

"Start talking kid."

Jinpei snickered and pointed at the baby on Ken's lap, "Betcha she needs a diaper change."

"Nani?"

"What the..."

A groan came from their pilot, "Oh brother. I'm glad I'm flying the ship."

Ken paled once more and looked down at the little girl, who as staring up at him innocently while drinking her juice. "How can something so little make such a smell? Jin, since you seen to know so much, why don't you change her?"

The youngest team member visibly gulped, "Aniki, I don't know how! Besides, I, uh...gotta keep an eye on the monitors while Oneechan's busy." He quickly bent over the console as if to prove his point, randomly pushing buttons and avoiding his Commander's gaze.

A snort came from next to him. "Handy excuse brat. And don't look at me, Ken. I wouldn't do it even if I did know how."

"Well _I_ certainly don't want to do it."

The bickering continued for a few moments until the sound of a throat clearing interrupted them. The monitor above their heads had come to life and Nambu's face watched them, slightly startled at the sight of Ken with a baby on his knee, then amused as he heard the nature of the argument. He cleared his throat to get their attention and had to fight back a grin as the four faces snapped towards the screen. "Problems gentlemen? Ken, what's your report?"

He bit back a smile as he watched as Ken tried gamely to keep his usual dignified demeanor, but failed miserably when the little girl reached up and yanked on the end of his face shield, pulling his head down. Laughter broke out in the background, and Ken groaned as he peeled the tiny fingers away from his mask and reported, "The baby and her mother were the only ones we found who survived the attack. The facility is basically destroyed. Salvage teams ought to be able to recover some of the research though. However, some personnel seemed to be missing, they may have run off before we arrived."

Nambu nodded in acknowledgment of the report. "Salvage teams are on their way now." He saw the look of disgust cross Ken's face again. "Is there a problem Commander?"

Jinpei chimed in from the background, "The baby's got a dirty diaper and no one knows how to change it. He quickly ducked back behind the console to avoid the glare Ken sent his way. "Well, it's true aniki!"

Ken sighed and faced the screen again, "Unfortunately he's right. Jun's treating her mother and none of us know how to change a diaper. Not to mention that we don't exactly have baby supplies on board."

A sarcastic snort came from the blue clad figure in the rear, "Yeah, now that Jinpei finally outgrew the Pampers© ." This was followed by an indignant yelp from the Swallow and an exasperated glare from Ken.

"Will you cut it out already? You're not helping here."

Nambu tried to remain stern, barely resisting the urge to follow the example of the man just out of the monitor's sight range and chuckle at this unusual predicament. Instead he sighed and instructed, "Jinpei go get a couple of slings and some medical tape from sickbay."

Jinpei looked confused, "Huh? What for Hakase?"

"Just do it Jinpei."

"Roger!" The child left the bridge and went to find his sister. When he reached the room he found Jun in the process of immobilizing the scientist's newly set leg, "Hey oneechan, where do you keep the arm slings? I need a couple and some tape."

Jun looked up at him, "Third drawer on the right for the slings, top shelf behind me for the tape. Have fun."

He looked at her, "How do you know why I need it?"

Jun just shook her head and clipped off the end of bandage she held, "That's easy. I assume it's either for Joe's mouth or the baby's bottom, if not both. Either way have fun."

Jinpei took the slings out of the drawer and grinned, "Aniki's the one stuck changing her. He makes a good daddy. Something you oughta keep in mind...hey!" He yelped as a large roll of medical tape hit him off the top of the helmet, "What was that for?"

"Use some of that to tape your own mouth shut huh? Now scram, brat. I'm busy."

Jinpei razzled her and jogged back to the bridge, snickering. He reentered the room and grinned up at the monitor, "Got 'em Hakase. But I don't see how they're gonna do any good."

"Watch and learn Jinpei. Ken, here's what you need to do..." Nambu slowly talked him through the process of creating a makeshift diaper and changing a wriggling baby, barely holding back the overwhelming urge to laugh. His shoulders shook with repressed mirth when Ken nearly lost hold of the squirming toddler and quickly ordered Jinpei to help him, despite the boy's loud protests. A hard five minute battle later, the girl was finally dry and clean...unlike her two unfortunate attendants who looked as worn out as if they'd just fought off a battalion of galactor troops.

Ken reclaimed his seat and awkwardly set the baby on his lap again, "Please tell me I'm not going to have to do that again. What a mess! Joe, for God's sake, stop laughing! It's not funny!"

His second in command merely chortled again, "That was quality entertainment right there! I wish I had a video camera!"

"Just for that, _you_ get to change the next one."

"No way in he..." Joe rolled his eyes at the stern glare he received from Ken and changed his choice of words, "...the world am I changing a diaper. You can have that fun. Or get Jun to do it. She's a girl, she should know how."

Ryu snorted, "If she hears you say that, you'll be singing soprano for a week."

"Shut up."

Nambu just rolled his eyes at the renewed arguing and chimed Jun in sickbay, ignoring the view screen momentarily in favor of the audio link, "Jun, what's the diagnosis? How is the scientist doing?"

Jun raised her wrist to speak into her band as she checked the last of the bandages, "It could be worse Hakase, all things considered. Her right leg's been shattered, I've set it as best as I can for now, but it's going to need surgery for sure. A lot of superficial cuts and bruises, most likely from shielding the baby during the attack. No immediate signs of internal bleeding, but I don't have the equipment to know for certain. The head wound is what worries me most at the moment, it went about half an inch deep near the temple. I stitched it up, but there's a definite concussion, and a pretty bad one at that. She hasn't regained consciousness yet. I've got her on saline and antibiotic drips, but that's all I can safely do with what I have here. I don't want to risk morphine until I know her history, and until after she regains consciousness."

The older man quietly acknowledged the information, "I'll alert Dr. Kraft and his team. They'll meet you when you arrive. Was she carrying any identification, an ID card, anything? We should be able to pull some information on her from here."

Jun examined the badly scratched ID badge clipped to the woman's now shredded lab coat, "It's hard to make out Hakase, it got pretty damaged in the attack. Looks like the last name's Li. First name starts with Ka, but I can't make the rest out."

She was surprised to hear Nambu curse softly, "Hakase? Do you know her?"

"Could the first name be Kaiya?"

She looked carefully, "Highly likely sir. It's not a long name. She's petite, approximately 5'2", and I'm judging her weight to be around 125. Wedding ring was on the right hand when we found her, I had to take it off, it's with the rest of her things now."

Nambu sighed, "I do know of her. You're about ten minutes away from the base. Stay with her, I'll brief you all when you land. We're going to have to make some adjustments for the next couple of weeks. Nambu out."

Jun puzzled over that last non sequitur as she gathered the scientist's effects and prepared her to be moved from the ship to the base infirmary. A quick check in with Ryu brought her a much needed laugh at his quiet recount of the recent events on the bridge, and the helmsman assured her that he's activated the ship's internal camera so she could watch the show for herself later on. She could hear the other three still bickering in the background, although at a far lower volume than normal and Joe's usual cursing was noticeably absent. She attributed that to the baby's presence in the room and shook her head. What a crew.

Back at ISO headquarters, Kozaburo Nambu removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose in an effort to relieve the headache he could feel coming on before turning to his friend, "This is an interesting dilemma. Any ideas Kentaro?"

The Red Impulse leader shook his head solemnly, "None at this moment my friend. Why in the world did she have the baby with her at the lab? I thought Zhou's family was caring for her for a while."

"I recall her mentioning some conflict with his family a little after his death. They apparently felt that Kaiya should join them as was befitting to a widow and not work outside the home...especially in such a job."

This brought a snort from his friend, "The traditionalist viewpoint hmm? You are going to contact them?"

Nambu thought for a moment then answered firmly, "No. Not until we can speak with Kaiya about what she wishes. Besides, if I do, they'll likely want to take the child away and with this attack on that particular project, I think it would be best if they both remain in ISO custody for now. But that does present another problem. What to do about the baby? It sounds as if it will be some time before Kaiya is able to care for her, judging by Jun's diagnosis. And there aren't many at the level of security required to handle the job."

"Who's available?"

"To put it bluntly, no one at the moment. Most with that security level are deeply involved in their own work or have full commitments here supporting the team. The few I can think of who are available are not equipped to deal with a baby. They aren't young anymore like they were when our crew was smaller."

"I can see the wheels turning in that brain of yours my friend. What are our options?"

Nambu looked up at him, "Well, unless you and your men want to volunteer for childcare duty..." this brought a raised eyebrow and another snort from the Red Impulse captain, "...then the only option at this time is for the team to take over her care for the time being."

Both eyebrows rose this time, "You must be joking. You're going to make Jun take care of a baby in addition to running that shop of hers and team obligations? She'll never be able to do all that at once."

Nambu gave him an amused glance, "No, she wouldn't. And you're lucky she didn't hear that chauvinistic assumption or you'd likely be in serious pain right now...again. I was actually thinking about Ken. He has the extra room at the airfield and one of the reserve pilots can fly his mail routes for him. The others can help him if he needs it."

Kentaro failed to bite back a disbelieving bark of laughter, "If? More like when. He's never had any experience with a kid that small before. Are you sure about this Kozaburo?"

"They've all had training in childcare, you know that. Very basic, I'll admit but some. Besides, there isn't much other choice. I'll brief the team when they arrive. Let me know if you get any word on the mecha."

"I will. We'll check in as soon as we find something. Tell Ken good luck...he's going to need it." With this observation Kentaro donned his flight helmet and left the room to rejoin his men in their search for the rouge mecha.

Nambu pulled up the files on Li Kaiya and her daughter then called Dr. Kraft to tell him what was coming his way before making his way down to the Phoenix's berth to greet and brief the team.

A/N: No, I haven't forgotten about finshing the last two chapters of 'Letters.' However, it is a highly emotional fic to write. I needed to work on something amusing to help counteract it and this little gem has been bouncing around in my mind for the better portion of the last year, soI decided it was time to get an outsider's opinion on the idea. I'm mostly going for humor this time, with perhaps some action and romance on the side. No specific timeline in relation to the series, other than before Kentaro was killed. As always, constructive criticism is welcome, praise enjoyed and flames will be used to melt the eight inches of snow we just got dumped on us. Ja ne.


	2. Breaking the News

Chapter 2 Breaking the News

Disclaimer: This is getting old. They aren't mine.

1Nambu watched as the team disembarked from the Phoenix and nearly laughed aloud at the sight of Ken holding the little girl awkwardly in his arm as she fussed and looking as if he'd rather be anywhere else at the moment. The other three males weren't being quite so kind, audibly snickering and drawing death glares from their commander. The group waited while Jun assisted the medical team in getting the scientist off the ship and quickly briefed them on what she'd done before they set off to sickbay. As soon as she joined them Ken gave her a pleading look and held the child out to her. Jun gave him an amused smile but took pity on him, taking the cranky little girl from his arms and settling her on her hip.

As they made their way up to Nambu's office Jinpei couldn't resist teasing his sister, "Hey Oneechan, looks like you gotta practice your mommy skills. Think you can handle it?"

Jun just looked down at him and smiled calmly, "You were my guinea pig, brat. Diapering and all. Shall I get out the pictures?"

"Oneechan!"This brought a chuckle from his teammates and a helmet rub from Jun as she readjusted the little girl on her hip.

Nambu just shook his head and led the team to the ready room, "That's enough. Wait here for me while I go check in on the patient. I'll have something sent up for you to eat and we'll debrief as soon as I know what's going on with the Li Hakase. Try to get some rest while I"m gone."

A sudden wail from the little girl had Jinpei reflexively clapping his hands to the sides of his helmet and grimacing, "Not with that racket we can't! Oneechan, what's wrong with her _now_?" The others winced at the addition of his complaining to the little girl's crying and Joe began cursing in Sicilian under his breath, ignoring the glare Ken sent his way.

Jun sighed and bounced the child for several minutes in an attempt to calm her. When the attempt failed she turned to Joe, since he was closest to her, and requested, "Hold her for a minute, please? I need to get out of these wings. It might help calm her down"

Joe tried to back away, hands in front of him like a shield and shaking his head, but Jun merely thrust the surprised toddler into his arms and stepped back. By the time man and child got over their mutual shock, she had switched to her civilian uniform and taken the girl back before she could let loose another howl. Four more flashes of light drew a quiet whimper out of her but any further fuss was mercifully cut off by a knock at the door.

Ryu answered the door, revealing three members of the kitchen staff with the requested food for the team, a small bag of baby supplies...and much to everyone's relief, a bottle of milk for the little girl. This was rapidly relayed to Jun, who stuck it in the girl's mouth, cutting off the forming wail. The child began drinking eagerly and was soon content to sit on Jun's lap with her snack...much to the relief of the men present.

After the staff left, Ryu began the familiar ritual of handing out the food to the others, his own plate predictably twice as full as anyone else's. He handed them out as usual, then paused in the process of digging into his own to take Jun's back from her. Glancing up at the raised eyebrows he was getting from the other boys, he shrugged calmly and cut the food into manageable pieces before handing it back to her. His only comment was the common sense observation, "Well, it's not like she can cut it one handed you know." That said, he resumed the plunge into his own dinner.

Jun smiled at him, "Thanks Ryu."

He gave her a grin in return as one hand scratched the back of his head, "No problem Jun. I remember what a pain it was when Senny was little. Although he'd try to steal it from you too."

Joe smirked, "Sounds like someone else I know."

"Shut up and eat your dinner or I will." A chuckle was heard in the room as the team worked their way through the meal with their usual good natured arguing and joking while they waited for news from the medical wing.

Later, food gone, trays stacked by the door, the team members stretched out in an attempt to rest while they waited for Nambu to return. Jinpei and Ryu occupied one couch, leaning against each other, their snores creating a discordant harmony. Joe had kicked back in a chair, and was currently half asleep, though one eye was still partly opened and trained on the child in Jun's lap as if she might suddenly pounce on him if he took his eyes off her completely. Ken leaned against the arm of the sofa, head resting in his hand and the heels of Jun's shoes nudging his leg as she shifted. She'd stretched out over most of the couch's length, back propped against the opposite arm of the couch and the little girl curled up on her lap, bottle still clenched in her hands. It was a peaceful scene, the kind that one hates to disturb. Unfortunately, by the very nature of the room's occupants, Nambu's entrance into the room did just that, three pairs of eyes immediately opening and training on him as he came in, the other two only seconds slower to follow. He motioned for them all to stay as they were as he crossed over and settled into the remaining chair in the room. Facing Joe, the two couches on either side, he studied the tired faces in front of him as he prepared to give them the news.

Once the teens had shifted themselves into a semblance of alertness, and Jun turned to face him, child still asleep on her lap, Nambu set the folder he held down on the side table and folded his hands. "Alright team, we have the news from Medical. Li Hakase will recover well, but it will take some time. She will be in the hospital for at least two weeks. In the meantime, there are some adjustments to be made." He nodded to the girl in Jun's lap, "The baby's name is Chihiro, she's fourteen months old. Her father was a pilot for the ISO, he was killed in action a few months ago. Her paternal grandparents live in Tokyo, but because of the project that Li Hakase was working on, she and the baby will be remaining in ISO custody for the time being."

Ken inclined his head in acknowledgment of the information then asked, "Who will be looking after her then Hakase?" Seeing the slight smirk that crossed Nambu's face he suddenly had the feeling he was going to regret asking that question.

"Because of a lack of personnel with the security clearance necessary for this job, the KNT has been tasked to care for the girl until Li Hakase is out of the hospital." He fought back a grin at he shocked looks he was receiving from his team. This could prove to be amusing. The expected outbursts soon followed.

"Nani? Hakase!"

"Kuso! What the hell?"

"Hakaseyougottabekiddingnoway!"

"Hakase!"

"Guys, hush, you're gonna wake her up!"

"The decision is final." This silenced the teens and he continued quickly, not knowing how long the shock would keep them quiet. "There is no one else available who is capable of caring for such a young child at this time who has the proper clearance. You are the only option."

Ken glanced at the rest of his team before asking, "Hakase, what about the mecha?"

"Red Impulse and his squad are searching for it now. They will report in when they find something." Nambu picked up the folder he had earlier set down and handed it to Ken, "You will need this Ken. It is Chihiro's medical and personal history. You should read it over as soon as possible, the information may be useful." Ken glanced from the folder to him, then nodded vaguely. Seeing that the implication hadn't quite registered with the team's commander, Nambu continued, "I'll have the things you'll need for the next few days brought out to the airfield tomorrow morning."

That comment and the resulting quiet snicker from the teammate next to him finally caused the implication to register in Ken's mind. He eyed his superior with an expression of stunned disbelief, and a hint of panic, "Hakase, please tell me you're kidding. I don't know anything about babies!"

Nambu allowed himself to smirk a little as he replied, "I am quite serious Ken. You are the one with the most space available in your civilian home, and your schedule is more adaptable than Jun's to the needs of a baby. Mark and Kekei have already been alerted that they will be flying your mail routes until further notice. The rest of the team shall help you as necessary but you are to be, shall we say, Chihiro's primary care giver for the time being."

Ken's groan of resignation was lost in the howls of laughter that came from his teammates, which were soon joined by the cries of a rudely awoken, and now very cranky toddler. Nambu's smirk grew as he remembered some of the hell the kids had put him through when they were younger. Revenge was sweet. He chuckled mentally to himself as he watched Jun attempt to calm the howling little girl, and when that failed, hand her to Ken with a look that clearly said, 'your turn.' The next two weeks would be interesting indeed.


	3. Welcome to Temporary Parenthood

Chapter 3 Welcome to (Temporary) Parenthood

Disclaimer: Hakase Li Kaiya and Chihiro are the only ones who belong to me. Tatsunoko owns the rest.

1Kozaburo Nambu watched the highly amusing scene for several minutes, grinning widely as the now thoroughly flustered Commander awkwardly rose from the couch to pace the room with the fretful toddler. Now that was a sight to bring back memories. He shifted his focus to the other team members and instructed, "Ryu, Jinpei, head home and get some rest. Joe, Jun, I need you to run an errand for me." The two who had been dismissed quickly beat it out of the room, receiving an envious glower from a couple of their teammates as they did so.

Joe looked at Nambu suspiciously, "What the hell do we have to do now?"

Jun frowned at him, "What's your problem?"

He glared right back at her, "It's been a damn long day already. I'm ready to get out of here and grab a beer."

Nambu decided to pretend he hadn't heard the exchange, he didn't have to reprimand anyone that way, "I need you both to run to the store and pick up a few things for Chihiro. Nothing extreme, just a few things that will be needed over the next couple of days."

Joe eyed him in disbelief, "You want _me_ to go shopping for _baby_ stuff? Are you out of your mind?"

Jun grinned, "Well, you could always loan me your car onisan. Then you don't have to go."

The Condor snorted derisively, "Not in this damn lifetime imoto. Fine, I'll go. What are we getting and how long is it going to take?"

Nambu handed Jun a credit card, "Immediate needs are a car seat and some clothes for her, we don't seem to have much in her size available at base at this time. A few toys perhaps, and anything else you think may be needed. Jun, I trust you have an idea of what those might be. You can use this card, but please don't max it out."

Jun glanced at the card and raised an eyebrow at him, "I though you couldn't max these high level ISO expense cards out."

Nambu sighed, "There's a first time for everything. And a reason I didn't give you my personal card." That got a chuckle from the two in front of him and a glare from Ken as he paced the room, as if wondering what in the world could be funny at a time like this. Chihiro had begun to calm somewhat but her volume could still reach a near painful level for the man holding her. Jun smiled at him and rose, slipping the card into her pocket, "You got it Hakase. We won't be long."

Joe snorted again, "Damn straight. Let's get this over with."

Nambu watched the two leave, Jun detouring a bit to tweak the fussing little girl's nose with a smile on her way out the door, leaving the doctor with the teenager and the child he held. Watching his foster son with an amused smile he suggested, "Ken, why don't you go up to your quarters and get some sleep. Take Chihiro with you. All the crying should have her asleep very soon. Just change her diaper and lay her down, she'll be fine."

Ken looked at him with a look of disbelief, "You're joking. Hakase, I haven't got a single clue as to what I'm doing here."

"You'll do fine. Just try to get some rest."

Ken nodded and reluctantly made his way towards the door, remembering at the last second to turn and grab the bag of baby supplies that had been brought in earlier. As he juggled it onto his shoulder he cast one more hopeful look at his mentor, "Hakase..."

"Good night Ken. I'll have Jun leave the baby's things in the ready room for you."

The Eagle sighed as the little girl bellowed in his ear once more, protesting the lack of motion, "Hai Hakase. Good night."

Once the door had shut behind him, Nambu finally allowed himself to laugh aloud, "This will be a most interesting two weeks indeed."

Ken wearily opened the door to his quarters and allowed the bag to slide from his shoulder to the floor just inside the doorway. Setting the fussing toddler on the floor, he turned to latch it, only to have to race across the room with a shout, "No, Chihiro, don't touch that!" Scooping her up once more, he realized his one simple error...stopping her meant his desk drawer had been spared, but his eardrums wouldn't be. Denied the ability to explore the new room and all its treasures, Chihiro protested in the only way she could, and she did it at full volume.

Groaning, Ken turned back to the door and retrieved the bag, muttering to himself, "Change the diaper and lay her down, change the diaper and lay her down...please God let this work." Rummaging through the provided supplies, he pulled out the disposable diapers that the infirmary had supplied and eyed them warily. His limited childcare training suddenly seemed a hundred years ago. He set the still protesting little girl on the bed and reluctantly began the process of not only trying to get at the makeshift diaper he and Jinpei had created earlier, a feat made difficult in and of itself with her squirming around constantly, but also to get the blasted thing apart. Maybe they'd gone just a little overboard with the tape. He finally managed to rip the last strip in half and tossed the whole mess into the nearby garbage can. Half the job done already... maybe this wouldn't be as bad as it had seemed earlier.

That optimistic thought was banished a few moments later when Chihiro, as if sensing the uncertainty of the man changing her, managed to roll from under Ken's hand and began crawling away over the bed. Ken made a frantic grab for her, and did his best to block out her loud protests over being caught. Holding her in place with one hand, he used the other to attempt to loosen a sheet from the stack of wipes he'd found in the bag, only to have a string of them come free. Cursing under his breath he tried to separate one, nearly groaning when several broke free to flutter to the floor. Deeming them the least of his concerns for the moment, he managed to make sure the girl was cleaned up, despite her attempts to wiggle free once more. Almost done.

After a brief struggle in trying to open a diaper one handed, and the battle with those blasted velcro tabs, Ken sat back on his heels and helped Chihiro to sit up so he could get the shirt on that the nursery had managed to dig up for her. Several sizes too big, but it would do for the night. Calling on all the patience that training had instilled in him, he managed to get her arms in the sleeves and the shirt over her head, despite her howl at being unable to see momentarily and limbs about as cooperative to the process as a rag doll's. When he finally finished, she flopped back down onto her back and, in what he considered to be a typical female mood swing, giggled up at the frustrated expression on her caretaker's face.

Shaking his head at the whims of the female species Ken began to pick up the escaped wipes and make sure that anything dangerous in the room was out of her reach. A glance over his shoulder ensured that she was still safe on the bed, kicking her feet in the air and babbling to herself. And best of all to Ken's mind, her eyes were slowly starting to droop. As he passed within her line of sight once more, she pouted up at him and held out her arms, causing him to freeze for a moment in confusion. The soft whimper spurred him back into motion when he realized that she wanted to be held again. Shoving aside his lingering uncertainty about holding her, he picked her up and supported her as she snuggled herself into his shoulder. He waited, hoping he wasn't going to drop her, then sighed in relief when she finally made herself comfortable. His mind beginning to blur with his own fatigue, Ken paced the room, hoping she would doze off soon. Several circuits later, his patience was rewarded when he felt her weight resettle itself against his shoulder as she fell asleep. Carefully shifting her back to the mattress, he looked around for something to keep her from falling off, but came up empty-handed. His spartan lifestyle was working against him for once, there wasn't anything handy to create a barrier between the baby and the edge of the bed. Too exhausted, both mentally and physically after the long day to think about it any further, he settled for stretching out along the edge of the bed, sending up a quick prayer that he wouldn't roll over in his sleep. Problem solved, he finally allowed his eyes to close. Day one was over...at last.


	4. Diapers, Strollers and Pacifiers Oh My

Chapter 4: Diapers and Strollers and Pacifiers, Oh My!

Disclaimer: This gets real old, real fast. They aren't mine. Melanie, unfortunately, is half mine, a bit character created by a friend and I for the purpose of irritating Joe...but I think it worked to well, she drives us nuts too.

1While Ken was occupied in dealing with the whims of the infant version of the female species, Joe was mentally cursing his fate to be assigned to accompany the older half of said species shopping. And if that wasn't bad enough, shopping for baby stuff. He pulled into the parking lot and spun the G2 into a convenient spot near the entrance, then eyed his teammate sourly, "I'll wait here."

Jun's response was a mischievous grin, "Oh no way bro. You're coming along if I have to drag you."

Ice blue eyes shifted from her to the pastel lettered sign above the doors and a quick shudder passed through him, much to his companion's amusement, "You're just doing this to torture me aren't you? You _know_ I hate shopping."

Jun's smile stayed in place as she got out of the car, "Gotta get my fun in somehow, don't I? Let's go. The sooner we finish this, the sooner you get that beer."

He reluctantly got out and pocketed the keys, grumbling the whole time, "To hell with the beer. I'm gonna need a Jagermiester by the time we get out of here." He brightened a bit as they approached the doors and he read the small placard displaying the store's hours, "Looks like we can't do this tonight, they close soon. Let's go." He turned away, reaching for his keys.

The escape might have been successful, were it not for the hand that snagged the back of his t-shirt, pulling him off balance mid-pivot, "Nice try. They don't close for another forty five minutes. We have plenty of time." One hand maneuvering the carriage she'd pulled from the queue, the other still firmly gripping his shirt, Jun made good on her earlier threat and dragged him through the automatic doors, not releasing him until they had slid shut behind them.

Once she'd finally let go of his shirt, Joe took a moment to smooth it out indignantly, "Was that really necessary Jun?"

"Absolutely. Come on. As you said, we don't have much time."

Joe's gaze moved from his shirt to their surroundings at last and he visibly blanched. They were surrounded by pastel colored clothes, toys, diapers and tons of God-only-knew what else; damned if he knew what most of it was. How in the world could a kid need so much crap? "You have got to be shitting me."

Jun rolled her eyes and started walking away from him, "Will you watch your mouth? There are children in this place you know. Let's get the car seat first."

A few strides allowed him to catch up with her, "And how do you know your way around here? Been exploring, dreaming about the future with Ke...oooff!"

Jun removed her elbow from his stomach, "How about you try reading the signs on the wall baka, and not running your mouth?"

He scowled at her and crossed his arms over his chest, "Let's just get this over with already."

Once they located the correct aisle, Jun asked, "Which one do you think we should get?"

Joe snorted, "How the hell am I supposed to know? You're the expert here."

"Yeah right. Just because I know a couple of things about kids doesn't mean I know anything about car seats. Besides, I thought you were the one who knew everything about anything to do with cars?"

"But not on baby stuff! Just grab the most expensive one and let's get out of here."

"You're hopeless." Sighing, Jun examined a couple of models and finally pointed to one, "Think you can get that box down for me?"

Joe smirked at her and easily pulled the box from the shelf above her head and set it in the cart, "Chibi."

"You have a death wish don't you?"

"As if you could take me down."

"You _really_ want to test that theory?"

A quick pass down a couple more rows had miniature cups, spoons and bowls joining the car seat. Joe received a swat on the arm when he grumbled over Jun spending a full five minutes deciding on a couple of bottles and a formula, which he did not take gracefully. Hell, it all looked the same to him, mix with water and the kid ate it, right? What was so hard about that? But since his teammate seemed determined to drive him crazy, he leaned back against a convenient shelf and glowered. When that failed to speed things up, he mentally resigned himself to waiting her out.

However, while he did so he decided to amuse himself by snagging a couple of bibs off a nearby display, deliberately picking the ones with the most smart ass phrases on them that he could find. They weren't much, considering that they _were_ baby stuff, but it was better than standing around completely bored. Not to mention that the reaction he'd get from her later when she saw them should be interesting.

Jun finally made her selections and dumped them in the cart before snagging a package of diapers off the next shelf and since the cart was nearly full, handing them to Joe. The glare she received in return was one that had made many a Galactor tremble in their boots, "I hate you."

"Yeah, I love you too. Come on, only a couple more things and we're done for now."

Joe stopped in his tracks when he saw where she was heading next. Not the clothes! He'd never get her out of there! "Yo Jun, you do realize we gotta be out of here in about ten minutes right?"

His teammate just rolled her eyes, "Yes boss, I know. I only have to grab a couple of things and we're set. Calm down already."

He snorted, "I've seen you shopping for clothes before and prefer never to see it again. Just grab the stuff so we can get out of here already."

"Nag, nag, nag. You're getting to be as bad as Ken." With that comment Jun made her way over to a rack of toddler sized clothes, leaving him staring after her, mouth slightly open in shock. He was_ not_ like Ken! Unfortunately, by the time he came up with a suitable retort, she was thoroughly involved in picking a few clothes from the rack. He watched her uneasily as she moved from one rack to another, pulling things out an adding them to the load on her arm. How many clothes did one kid need?

Joe was about to remind her of the time once more, but she came back on her own, dumping most of the items she carried into the cart and handing him something that looked like a lace factory had thrown up on it. He eyed it for a moment then raised an eyebrow at Jun, "And just what am I supposed to do with this?"

"Just hold it up for a second so I can see it from a distance, ok?"

"You have got to be shitting me."

"Didn't I ask you to watch your mouth? Come on, it'll only take a second. Please niisan?"

Long experience had taught him that the less you argued with Jun, the faster it was over with, "Fine, but just for a second. We gotta get out of here."

"Alright." She stepped back a few feet and he reluctantly held the dress up, glancing at the label idly. It figured that she'd have homed in on the Laura Ashley. What girls saw in this crap, he'd never know. As he was about to toss it into the cart, he heard a familiar feminine giggle from behind him and groaned. Could this get any worse?

"Joe-kun, what are you doing here? It's been a long time!"

Joe reluctantly turned to face the blond track groupie, "Aa." Only the fact that it went against the grain to be cruel to a woman prevented him from telling her that the avoidance was deliberate on his part.

Unfazed by his short response, Melanie gave him a bubbly smile, "I never expected to see _you_ here." She studied the carriage of supplies curiously, "What's the occasion?"

Joe mentally cursed Jun for dragging him into this situation and glanced around to find a fast escape route. A movement in the corner of his eye also distracted Melanie's attention as Jun approached them, amusement in her eyes as she took in the expression on Joe's face.

Melanie smiled sweetly at Jun, studying her slim figure curiously, "Jun-chan, ohaiyo. I didn't know _you_ were having a baby."

Joe audibly groaned as he braced himself for the sharp retort he figured would come from Jun at such a bold statement, only to feel a chill go up his spine at the even more frightening sweet tone his little sister adopted as she replied, "Iie Melanie-chan, I'm not pregnant."

The other girl was obviously confused now, "Then what's all the baby stuff for? Surely not for you, Joe-kun."

Jun decided to have pity on her now choking brother, "Oh no, it's not for him either. I'm watching a friend's daughter for a few days so I had to pick up a few things. What brings you here?"

Melanie giggled as she displayed the infant sleeper set she carried, "My sister's baby shower is next weekend and this was too darling to resist."

She would have gone on but the store intercom came to life, reminding customers that the store would be closing in a few minutes. Joe sighed in relief as he grabbed the handle of the cart and spun it around "Let's go imoto."

Jun grinned and followed him, tuning out Melanie's enthusiastic farewell, "How on earth do you tolerate that girl? She's enough to drive anyone crazy."

Joe snorted as he shoved the cart into a checkout line, "I can't, and you damn well know it. Nor can you, and don't think I didn't see it."

Jun shrugged as she began unloading the cart, "She's disliked me since I joined the family. You know, I was too close to you, _Joe-kun_."

He growled at her, "Cut it out Jun and just pay for this stuff so we can out of here."

She smiled at him, "Alright Joe, I won't tease anymore." She took a couple of disposable cameras from a nearby display and waited for the clerk to add them to the total before sliding the card Nambu had given her through the machine and signing it with hardly a glance at the total, "All set."

As they loaded the bags into the backseat of his car Joe couldn't resist a quick peek at the receipt she'd placed in one of the bags. He whistled softly in admiration, " That's my girl. You hosed Hakase good this time."

Jun smirked, "Just wait until I pick up the rest of the things tomorrow. This was just the basics."

Joe slid behind the wheel, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye as she got in next to him, "My little girl is all grown up..."

She swatted his arm lightly, "Oh hush baka, and let's get this stuff back to base. I want to get home to bed sometime before midnight."

He revved the engine and pulled out of the lot in a squeal of tires, "I hear you there. Wonder how golden boy's managing with the kid."

Jun frowned at him, "Cut it out, you know he hate that nickname. I'm sure he's doing fine."

Completely unfazed, Joe just snickered, "You should have seen how he looked on the Phoenix. Talk about a fish out of water. Or in this case, a bird out of the air."

Jun groaned aloud at the bad joke, "Don't quit your day job."

"A man's gotta have a hobby."

"Perhaps, but I still reserve the right to duct tape your mouth shut."

Joe grinned at her as he took a corner at a speed that would make most people fear for their lives, "Get in line. Am I dropping you off at the J?"

"Nope, I'll get my bike from base. You're driving is enough of an adrenaline rush to keep me wide awake until I get home."

"Hakase has been known to sleep while I'm driving."

"Which cements the theory that he has at least one screw loose somewhere. Probably shaken loose from driving with you." Jun resisted the urge to sigh in relief as he pulled into their parking bay at the base, "Help me get this stuff up to the ready room before you jet?"

"If I must. I don't hear any screams of bloody murder, so I guess Ken is doing ok so far." Joe hauled a bag from the back of the car and led the way to the corridor that housed the team's quarters, "Either that, or they already hauled him off to the psycho ward."

Jun had to grin at that as she watched him key in the code to the security system for their quarters, "Such faith in our Commander is overwhelming. You're getting me all mushy."

Joe snorted as they made their way to the ready room, "When it comes to missions, and if you ever repeat this I'll deny it, I trust him to get our butts out of just about anything. And he's the only one I'd ever say that about. But with kids? Come on Jun, he's clueless. I mean it, you should have seen him earlier."

She deposited her bags on one of the couches in the ready room, "I'll watch the rerun later. He might surprise you once he gets used to having her around."

"Twenty bucks says he's a wreck at the end of the week."

"You're on."

Smirking, Joe headed back out the door, detouring at the last moment to tap on Ken's door, hoping to hassle him a bit more since he'd been sent off on the torture errand before he could get his quota in. When no answer came from within, he cracked the door open, keeping an eye out for any sudden attacks. Years of knowing his brother was quite enough to make him wary. When nothing came, he opened the door a bit more, a grin spreading over his face. This wa even better than he'd hoped. Seeing Jun coming down the hall towards him he whispered, "Go get one of those cameras. You have got to see this."

Jun raised an eyebrow at him but backtracked to the ready room to scoop up one of the disposable cameras before joining Joe at the doorway, "What is it?"

Joe took the camera from her and winked as he waited for it to power up, "Trust me and just look."

Jun did as he said and had to raise a hand to her mouth to stifle the giggle that threatened to burst free as she took in the scene in the room. Ken was passed out where he'd laid down, head pillowed on his arm, apparently so tired he'd failed to even kick off his shoes. Chihiro had turned in her sleep at some point and was curled up against his chest, one small fist clenching a handful of red t-shirt, and being held protectively in the curve of her caretaker's arm.

Even as Jun took this all in, Joe quickly leaned around her to get the shot framed as he wanted it and snapped off three pictures of the scene. Perfect for future blackmail. When Jun turned to frown at him, he grinned at her, completely unrepentant, "It was too good to resist. I promise to save you a copy."

She punched him lightly, "You better. I better scram before Jin gets into too much trouble at home on his own."

Joe pocketed the camera, "Yeah, I'm beat too. See ya later imoto. Sweet dreams."

"Night onisan." She watched him saunter away then took one last glance into the room before shutting Ken's door softly as she left, leaving the two to their sleep.


	5. Day Two

Chapter 5: Day Two...

The hiss and crackle of angry electricity filled the vaulted room as a purple clad being cowered in front of his leader, pleading for mercy, "Please Sosai X-sama, no more! I swear I will find the woman and child and bring them to you!"

The yellow eyes above him narrowed menacingly "See that you do so, Berg Katse. The woman is essential to our plans. I will not tolerate another failure. Now go!"

Katse bowed low, a hand to his heart in humility, "Hai Sosai X-sama!"

A shrill cry jolted Ken abruptly from the realm of sleep and into the land of the living, his blue eyes darting rapidly around the room in search of danger. After a few frantic moments, his sleep fogged brain finally processed the fact that there was no enemy in the room, only one small girl who wanted his attention. Considering he was pre-coffee and short on sleep, he might have preferred the goons.

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Ken looked at the little girl and commented wryly, "You make one heck of an alarm clock, Chihiro."

Hearing her name, the little girl stopped wailing for a moment and stared up at him, eyes teary. Ken sighed and picked her up, propping her against his shoulder. He forced himself to bite back a groan when his hand made contact with her bottom….not again! Her diaper was unmistakably wet; how often did kids wet a diaper anyways? He stumbled about the room a bit, gathering the scattered supplies he needed…it was _way_ too early in the day for this.

A few minutes and a diaper change later, the two made their way down the hall to the ready room, Chihiro chewing on her fist and Ken desperately craving a cup of coffee. It did not help improve Ken's mood any that the first thing he saw as he entered the ready room was Nambu sitting on one of the couches, coffee cup in hand and breakfast set out on the table nearby. Chihiro seemed to agree with him, as she began to fuss once again at his shoulder and Ken bounced her a bit in an attempt to stave off a crying fit, remembering that it had soothed her the previous evening when Jun did it. It didn't seem to be working this time though, since the girl's fussing continued.

Nambu smiled behind his coffee before deciding to have pity on his frustrated foster son. Rising, he crossed over to the duo and reached for the little girl, "Eat something Ken. I'll take her for a few minutes."

Ken transferred Chihiro to him gratefully and made a rapid beeline for the coffee pot and food. Nambu smiled down at the child, who was looking up at him with a solemn expression on her face, studying this new person holding her. Apparently finding him an acceptable substitute, she grinned back and made a grab for his glasses. Rescuing them from her grip, Nambu observed, "Giving him a hard time Chihiro? Good girl."

Ken glared at him over the rim of his second cup of coffee, "Don't encourage her Hakase."

That only got a chuckle from his mentor as he picked up a bottle that had been prepared before they came in. "Here you go Chihiro. Drink up." Chihiro grabbed for the bottle and began drinking as eagerly as her caretaker had downed his coffee.

While he ate, Ken watched Nambu handle the girl, seemingly with little trouble. The coffee he'd drunk hadn't quite kicked in yet before the doctor spoke again, "Ken, when you're finished eating, you'll need to go get your car. I will watch Chihiro while you're gone."

"Huh? Why do you say that, Hakase?"

Nambu chuckled again; obviously Ken's brain wasn't quite working yet. "You cannot take Chihiro home in your plane, Ken. Jun bought a car seat for you last night. Once we get that in your car, you can take her home. I will bring the furniture you need by later this afternoon. That will give you enough time to get the things you need from the store."

Ken choked on a spoonful of miso and had to cough a bit before he could reply, "Store?" Glancing over at the bags on the couch, he continued, "I'm going to need more stuff? What about all that?"

"Those are a few basics in clothing and the like. There are still other things you will need." He picked up a small bowl of cereal and began spooning it into the Chihiro's mouth as he continued, "Some baby food, for one. Jun bought formula, but she also needs solid food. She is at an age where she can eat some finger foods and perhaps even regular milk, but you will want to have some soft foods on hand as well. I am uncertain what Li Hakase may have been feeding her. You'll have to experiment a bit to find out what she'll eat."

Ken blinked, then rose to refill his coffee, "I don't suppose you have an instruction manual or something on hand for this Hakase? I told you, I don't know anything about kids period, let alone babies."

The question brought a hearty laugh from his mentor, "Sorry Ken, but I'm afraid this is one thing that has no manual to follow. You'll have to figure it out on your own. However, I know you'll do just fine."

The normally unflappable Eagle groaned and raked a hand through his hair, "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Of course. I remember having the same expression on my face as you do now when your father conned me into watching you for the first time. But as you can see, we both survived the ordeal. You will do the same with Chihiro."

Ken's blue eyes widened as he pictured the scene…it was an amusing thought. "My father conned you into watching me?"

"Hai, when you were about two months old. He wanted to take your mother out for an evening. Let us just say that it was an experience I'll not soon forget."

"I'll bet."

"Trust me, you'll be fine. Now, get out of here already and go get your car."

Ken threw him a mocking two fingered salute on his way out the door, coffee cup in hand, "Rodger. I'll be back in a while."

"I'm timing you!" A chuckle floated back down the hallway and the scientist was left alone with the little girl.


	6. Reflections of Grandpas to Be

Chapter 6: Reflections of Grandpas...To Be

Disclaimer: As always, they don't belong to me.

Things were peaceful for the next ten minutes or so as Nambu patiently spooned the infant cereal into Chihiro's mouth, followed by some pureed fruit. His assistant had thankfully brought the items in for him that morning and he was grateful that she had; his own limited experience with an infant Ken was years in the past now and he was rather rusty. Once the food was gone and Chihiro relatively cleaned up, he set her on the floor with some toys to play with, while he began to write out a list of items Ken would need to purchase. The young commander was a true novice in this area, and while Jun had picked up some things, there were many more that would be needed to care for the girl for any length of time. He allowed himself a chuckle at the memory of Ken's panicked expression the previous evening before looking down at the girl playing at his feet. She'd looked up at the sound of his laughter and crawled over to him, holding out her arms to be picked up. Chuckling again, he obliged her, settling her on his knee as he continued to write. She'd just managed to swipe his glasses at last when their attention was drawn to the doorway as Red Impulse stepped into the room, laughing, a smirk visible under his moustache.

"Well, well, what's this? Don't you make a good grandpa Kozaburo. It definitely suits you. All you need now is the recliner chair."

"And just what is that supposed to mean?" Nambu raised an eyebrow at his old friend while attempting to retrieve his glasses, then giving up a moment later. "And I will thank you to hold the grandfather jokes, if you don't mind. I'd think they'd suit you better, as it is your son who is caring for her for the time being."

Kentaro Washio smirked at this comment as he sat in the chair across from Nambu, removing his dark glasses to reveal brown eyes that glinted with a rare humor, "If you say so Koz, but I hadn't expected to share a grandchild with you for a few more years yet. Guess it is good practice for you though."

"Nani?" Nambu frowned at this for a moment before being distracted by Chihiro trying to replace his glasses on his nose. Taking them gently, he settled them into place before setting the squirming girl back on the floor to play. "You're not making much sense and that's not like you. How goes the search?"

Kentaro's eyes narrowed in irritation, "Slow as all hell. The damned thing's disappeared completely. We haven't found a single trace of it."

Nambu made a note of this and replied, "Call off the search for the moment. It will show up sooner or later and I would rather have you and your men rested to help deal with it when it does."

Chihiro babbled to herself and gnawed on a toy while the two men continued to talk until she grew bored. The bright red flight suit of the newcomer caught her eye. She crawled toward him and tugged on his pant leg, looking up at this new tall person she could play with.

Kentaro looked down at the child, then quirked an eyebrow at his friend, "If I didn't know better, I'd say this conspiracy." Nambu only chuckled as Chihiro tugged on the pilot's pant leg once again before using it as a handhold as she struggled to her feet. Moving slowly, she shuffled over until she stopped in front of him, using his knees to balance herself, then held up her arms once more. She began to sway backwards and Kentaro reached out and caught her just before she landed on her bottom. Lifting her to his knee, he looked at his smirking friend, "Don't say it."

Nambu's grin only grew wider and Kentaro looked back down at Chihiro, "Are you going to warn Ken that she's pulling up on things?"

"What do you think?"

Two sets of brown eyes met over the girl's head in perfect agreement. Ken was on his own...

A/N: My apologies for putting up just a short chapter after so long a delay in updating but this seemed a good place to stop. The next chapter is already being written and the various ideas I have for this story are falling into line at last. My thanks for your patience and a special thanks to GoldAngel12 and Summer39 for listening to me ramble on and allowing me to bounce ideas off of them. Ladies, you are the best.


	7. Zero Hour

Disclaimer: Gatchaman and all related characters belong to Tatsunoko Studios and ADV.

Chapter 7: Zero Hour

Ken returned to the base an hour later, now awake and more than slightly apprehensive. Red Impulse had left a short time before so he only found Nambu and Chihiro still in the ready room. Nambu was reviewing the latest intelligence reports while Chihiro played contentedly nearby, gnawing on a fist while attempting to stack a few blocks together. The toys were the first thing that caught Ken's eye and he questioned, "Where did those come from?"

Nambu looked up from the report he was reading, "My assistant was kind enough to bring in a few things this morning to keep her entertained. Chihiro seems to have taken a liking to that bear," he indicated a brown toy bear that had obviously been drooled on, "so you may want to take it with you when you leave. The other things can be left here if you like, in case she spends some time here. At least you'd have something to keep her entertained with."

Ken took a moment to process that suggestion; this whole babysitting gig was starting to sound a whole lot more complicated than just keeping Chihiro's stomach full and her bottom dry. Picking up the list that Nambu had set aside earlier, as well as the credit card that Jun had left behind, he had to suppress a groan as he read over the items he 'needed'; he didn't know what a full two thirds of this stuff was. He sighed and pocketed both items as he looked over at the bags Jun had left on the couch the night before. This could get messy. Picking them up, he sighed again and said, "I'll take these down to the car and be right back to get her." His mentor nodded from behind his reports as he left the room. When he returned a few minutes later, he found that Nambu had set the reports aside and picked up Chihiro once more, the little girl now clutching the stuffed bear. "Hakase?"

"I will carry her down so that you can get the car seat set up." Both men looked to the box lying innocently nearby and Ken hefted it easily, missing the smirk that crossed the doctor's face.

The three made their way down to where Ken had left his car and Nambu leaned against the side of the vehicle as he watched his foster son try to put the car seat in the back seat, soon finding that little red sports cars were not exactly designed with a baby seat in mind. A tanto blade had been sufficient to make opening the box easy enough but for Ken, things went downhill as soon as the tape had been sliced away.

Nambu watched in amusement as the Eagle cursed under his breath as he tried to get the car seat assembled. He struggled to get the straps threaded through the proper places in the car seat frame and finally succeeded, only to realize after a glance at Chihiro and a longer look at the previously tossed aside directions, that he'd set them in the places suited for a much smaller infant and had to start all over again, muttering the entire time. Other than the phrase '…going to kill Joe…' Nambu couldn't make out most of what he was saying but could easily guess at the gist of it. He was distracted by Chihiro tugging at his moustache and turned his full attention to the little girl, keeping her amused until Ken was done.

Ken slid the last strap into place with a sigh of relief then turned his attention to getting the seat properly set in the backseat so that it wouldn't slide around while he was driving. The fact that baby seats were not designed for sports cars and vice versa was obvious the moment he attempted to settle it into place, facing it backwards on some dimly recalled memory from somewhere or another that babies were supposed to face the rear, but another look at the directions for the seat told him that he had to turn it around and start again, because Chihiro was old enough to face forwards.

It took another ten minutes to get the thing firmly enough in place that it didn't move around. He fastened the safety strap as the directions said and sighed in relief before turning to take Chihiro from Nambu and he had to grin at the sight that met his eyes. The little girl had her bear in one hand and was feeling Nambu's moustache with the other, looking curiously between him and the bear, apparently comparing the feel of the two. She rubbed her hand over the moustache once more and made a face before hugging her bear, the soft fur of the toy apparently winning the contest of which she preferred. Both men chuckled at this and Ken reached to the child from Nambu and settled her into the car seat. Actually strapping her into the seat was the easiest part of the whole ordeal and they were off a few minutes later, after confirming a meeting time at Ken's place with Nambu. As he drove, Ken found himself talking to Chihiro, who seemed content in her seat for the moment as she looked out the window.

"You know Chihiro, I hate to admit it but I think I'm in over my head here. I'm not very good with babies. Heck, I hardly know how to change your diaper, let alone all the other stuff you have to do for a little kid. And don't even ask about that list Hakase gave me...I don't even want to think about that yet." The little girl turned and looked at him as he met her dark eyes in the rearview mirror, "You know it too, don't you?" Chihiro just grinned and began chewing on her fist, "I'll take that as a yes. Hang on a moment."

Ken pulled into a gas station and took the list out of his pocket to study while the attendant filled the tank, "I can't believe I forgot to tank up this morning. Well, since we can't avoid it forever, let's take a look at Hakase's list." He studied the list for a couple of minutes, then sighed, "I still don't know what a lot of this stuff is, so I"ll tell you what; you look like you're hungry and so am I, so let's go see Jun and get something to eat. And if we're lucky, we might be able to talk her into helping us shop. What do you say?"

Chihiro pulled her fist from her mouth to smile at him, babbling something that Ken chose to interpret as an agreement, 'I"m glad you agree." He paid the attendant and pulled away from the station, altering his original course to head to the J instead. If the lunch crowd hadn't decided to swamp the place early today, he should be able to talk Jun into helping him with the shopping...or so he hoped.

Ten minutes later, he pulled into the J's small parking lot and killed the engine. "Here we are Chihiro. Nice place huh?" He unbuckled the straps and lifted her out of her car seat, trying to find a comfortable way to hold her, "Believe me, if it weren't for this place, I'd starve to death. Jun's not really much of a cook but she makes Jinpei feed me...what's the matter?" The little girl had begun to squirm in his arms and was reaching for something in the car. Looking down, he saw that the stuffed bear had fallen to the floor, "You want the bear?" Chihiro strained against his arm once more so he balanced her carefully, retrieved the toy and handed it to her. The moment she had the bear back she calmed down, much to his relief, and allowed him to carry her into the bar.

Inside, Jun was putting away the last of the clean dishes when the sound of the door opening had her turning to greet her customer. Her polite businesswoman's smile was quickly replaced by a genuine one at the sight of Ken trying to keep hold of Chihiro as she squirmed around to look at this new place. The sight was both endearing and amusing at the same time. A giggle escaped her as she watched Ken juggle the girl again and the Eagle shot her an aggravated look.

"I'm so glad you find this amusing Jun."

"You two look adorable together. Rough morning?" Jun rounded the counter and reached for Chihiro, "Come here cutie. Is he taking good care of you?"

Chihiro grinned at her and held out the bear, "I see you have a new friend. She shifted Chihiro to her hip and raised an eyebrow, "And I see we have a little problem. Ken, where's her diaper bag?"

Ken blinked at her for a moment, understanding coming quickly, "She needs to be changed again?" He thought for a moment, "Uh, I don't think Hakase put a diaper bag together."

Jun just shook her head at his cluelessness, 'Remind me to help you put one together later. Go get a diaper and some wipes from the car; I'll change her for you this time."

"You're a lifesaver Jun." Ken got up quickly and rushed out the door, his teammate's voice floating behind him.

"And don't you forget it!"

At the car, Ken rummaged through the bags for the necessary items and brought them back to Jun. She smiled at him, obviously still amused, then left the room with Chihiro at her hip. Ken let out a sigh of relief and made a beeline for his usual seat at the bar then stopped short at the realization that Chihiro would not be able to sit on one of the stools. Not wishing to attempt to feed her while she was sitting on his lap, he detoured to a nearby booth, grabbing one of the plastic highchairs that Jun kept on hand for her customers as he passed. Jun and Chihiro rejoined him a few minutes later and Jun settled the girl into the highchair.

"I assume you two are hungry. Your usual Ken?"

"Please Jun, if you don't mind and something for Chihiro if you could."

"I suppose I can take pity on you this time." She ruffled Chihiro's hair and left them, calling for Jinpei. The boy's voice could be heard complaining in the kitchen as usual and Jun's reply floated back to them through the swinging door.

"Just do it ototo!"

Ken chuckled and looked at Chihiro, "They do that a lot." Chihiro just grinned at him around a gummy fist, the bear still clutched in her other hand, "Are you ever going to let that thing go?" She hugged the bear closer, "Not anytime soon I guess." He sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes; what had he gotten himself into?"

Jun rejoined them a few minutes later carrying a burger for Ken and a bowl of applesauce and some dry cereal for Chihiro, "Here you go. Sorry, I don't have any baby food on hand so this was the best I could do for now."

"Thanks Jun. Could you...?" Ken gave her his best helpless look, an unspoken plea for help.

Jun shook her head at him with a quiet laugh, "You really don't know what you're doing, do you?"

Ken blew out a breath, "You think? The poor kid's going to end up starving at this rate because I haven't the slightest idea as to how to feed her or even what to give her. What the heck was Hakase thinking Jun, trusting me with this job?"

She slid onto the bench across from him and picked up the bowl of applesauce as she replied, "He was thinking that you would do an admirable job, just as you do with every other assignment you're given, no matter what it involves. Granted, this is a tad more unusual, but you'll do fine. Taking care of a baby isn't that hard, you just need a little practice." She took a small teaspoon and Ken watched carefully as she began spooning the fruit into Chihiro's mouth, one small bite at a time. She paused for a moment to clean off some of the fruit that had dribbled onto Chihiro's chin, then reached for a napkin to tuck into the girl's collar as a temporary bib, smiling at Chihiro as she protested the pause in incoming food, "Sorry Chihiro, I forgot about the bib. I'm a little rusty at this myself. It's been a long time since Jinpei was your size." She resumed feeding her the fruit as Ken finally began to eat his own meal.

A few minutes later both teens had to duck as Chihiro grabbed for the spoon Jun held, sending applesauce flying. Ken pulled a few napkins from the dispenser and started to wipe up the mess while Jun held both bowl and spoon well out of Chihiro's reach, "Now don't be fresh young lady." Chihiro pouted and Jun relented quickly, resuming her interrupted rhythm, "Save that for when you two get home, okay?"

"Jun, don't tell her that!" Ken blinked at his teammate in astonishment, but she just giggled. "You'll give her ideas!"

"Never!"

"Riiight." He ate the last few bites of his burger before speaking again, "Do you know that you have applesauce in your hair?"

"Gee thanks." Jun set down the now empty bowl and reached for a napkin, "You could have told me sooner." She cleaned the fruit from her hair then set a handful of dry cereal on the highchair tray for Chihiro to nibble on. "Just wait until she decides to decorate you."

"What did I say about giving her ideas?" A grin was his only response.

A few minutes passed in silence before Ken spoke again, pulling Nambu's list from his pocket, "Listen Jun, do you think you could do me a favor?"

"That would depend on the favor." Jun wiped Chihiro's face clear of more applesauce and replenished the cereal on the tray, "What did you need me to do?"

Ken handed her the list, "Hakase says I need to get these things for Chihiro but I don't have a clue as to what half of it is. Do you think you could come shopping with me and make sure I get all the right things? You know I don't know anything about this stuff."

Jun bit her lip, "I don't know Ken. We're going to have the lunch crowd in here within a couple of hours and I hate to leave Jinpei to deal with them alone."

"Please Jun. You know I wouldn't ask unless I really needed your help." Ken gave her his best helpless look and was relieved when she nodded a moment later.

"Alright, but I can't be gone for more than an hour or so."

Ken grinned in relief, "Thanks Jun; I owe you one."

Jun smiled back and rose to her feet, "I'll think of a way you can pay me back later. Give me a couple of minutes and I'll be ready; I just need to talk to Jinpei before we go." Ken nodded and she walked away, the doors to the kitchen slapping lightly as she passed through them.

Ken sighed and looked at Chihiro, who had somehow managed to get cereal stuck in her hair as the two teens were talking. Shaking his head, he reached for a napkin, "Chihiro, you're a mess. I guess I'd better clean you up before we go anywhere." He set to work cleaning the protesting little girl up while he waited for his teammate to reappear.

In the kitchen, Jinpei was protesting this latest development, "Oneechan, it's not fair! You can't just leave me to deal with everything on my own while you're off playing house with Aniki!."

Jun rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Jinpei, I"m not going to 'play house' as you call it." She had to fight back a blush at the mental picture that phrase brought to mind, "I'll be back in an hour or so. And this is team business, or have you forgotten that we've be tasked with taking care of Chihiro? Ken needs help getting this stuff; you know he doesn't know much about little kids."

"You got that right!" Jinpei snickered at the memory of the expression on Ken's face yesterday, "He'd probably try to feed the kid dog food or something. Alright, I'll handle things here for now. But make sure you tell Aniki that he owes me big time!"

Jun ruffled his hair, "Hai ototo, I will. Don't blow the place up while I'm gone, ok?"

"You have so little faith in the great Swallow Jinpei!" He followed her back out into the main part of the diner and grinned at the sight of Ken trying to clean up the sticky toddler before fixing a pre-teen's scowl on his face, making sure that the Eagle noticed his displeasure. As Jun picked up the baby and the three walked out the door, he crossed over to the window to watch them get into Ken's car. Once they'd pulled away a wicked smirk crossed his face and he ran upstairs to locate his sister's camera.

'This is going to be way too much fun to watch. Time to get some blackmail material on Aniki!'


End file.
